What do you get when you engage 28 rabbis in creative Jewish
learning and programming in the heart of Jerusalem? For nearly four weeks, I participated in the first stint of
the fifth cohort of the Rabbinic Leadership Initiative (RLI), sponsored by the Shalom Hartman
Institute. Our cohort consists of
rabbis spanning at least 25 years in age and representing a broad ideological
spectrum.
Among the group are several Renewal rabbis as well as members of the faculty of Yeshivat Maharat, which describes itself as “the first institution to ordain Orthodox women as spiritual leaders and halakhic authorities."
Among the group are several Renewal rabbis as well as members of the faculty of Yeshivat Maharat, which describes itself as “the first institution to ordain Orthodox women as spiritual leaders and halakhic authorities."
In the coming months, I will be writing and speaking further
about what I’ve learned so far through RLI. At this point, I want to give some impressions and a few
anecdotes as an introduction to the scope and depth of the program.
